A beloved football coach who was one of four victims killed in a shooting at a Barrow County, Georgia, high school on Wednesday morning is being remembered as a “leader” who taught the “old school ways” of football to the kids he coached.
Ricky Aspinwall, a 39-year-old husband and father of two young daughters, taught math at Apalachee High School and was also the defensive coordinator for the football team.
Mike Hancock, head football coach at the school, said: Athens Banner-Herald Aspinwall loved his wife and two daughters and was a “great father” who was well respected in the football world.
“He worked hard,” Hancock said, “and he coached the old-fashioned way, but he loved his kids. It's really hard for our kids, but also for his wife and two daughters.”
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Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.
Aspinwall was killed when a 14-year-old suspect opened fire inside the school, along with math teacher Christina Irimy and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Nine other people were wounded in the shooting, authorities said.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said the suspected shooter, a student at Apalachee High School, has been charged with murder and will be prosecuted as an adult.
Students at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, were evacuated to the football stadium after the school was placed on lockdown on Wednesday. (AP via WSB)
Hancock said one of his first hires when he took over the Apalachee High School football program last year was Aspinwall, who previously served as football coach at Mountain View High School.
People listen to speakers as they hold a candlelight vigil for slain students and teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mountain View's football program posted tributes to Aspinwall on social media.
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“With deepest condolences, we announce the loss of former MV High School middle school coach Ricky Aspinwall, who tragically passed away today in a senseless act at a nearby high school,” the post read. “Coach A was a beloved member of the MVHS football and math departments. Our prayers go out to Shayna and his daughters.”
The post was accompanied by a photo of Aspinwall, his wife and their two young daughters, with the caption, “Coach Aspinwall was a leader of men and someone I would want to coach my own children. We love you and are praying for his wife, Shayna, and their daughters at this time.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Aspinwell's family.
“We are all shocked by the news that Ricky Aspinwall lost his life trying to protect our students,” the fundraiser post read.
Police officers arrived on the scene at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday as the school was placed on lockdown and students evacuated to the football stadium. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
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Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the shooting.
Fox News' Stephanie Price contributed to this report.
